Dulled Is the Scorpion's Tail
by fare-thee-well
Summary: Tamara meets a strangely repentant Scorpion while Hell is abandoned. She trusted him once, but now he insists he's being honest. It is a decision between her heart and her head. Which will she follow? TamaraxScorpion Mildly suggestive
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! this fic is kind of an experiment in TamaraxScorpion shipping, so I hope you like it! More chapters on the way, rate and review please! xoxo :)**

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"H-hello? Is anyone there?" Tamara touched a hand to her lips as she recognized the words she had just spoken. They were the same words as the last time...the time with Lucifer. The last time she had found herself wandering, alone and frightened, in a world she knew nothing about. It was steadily becoming clear to her that things would always be this way. Three times now she had awoken in a strange, unfamiliar place with no directions and not a single face she recognized. She stepped forward once, twice, and then sighed and began to walk. No matter how many times this happened to her, Tamara was sure the overwhelming fear and dread would never go away.

As she walked, she reflected on the first remembered finding the dark-eyed boy in the cage, and not even having time to wonder why he was there before he fixed her with that brilliant smile of his. He had been so handsome, so tempting, as seductive as he was grotesque. Tamara shook her head as though to shake the memory away as she recalled being bound to that wheel, putty in the hands of her murderer. He had seemed so genuine at the time, so charming that she felt she had to trust him. He'd said his act was dead without her, and she had believed him. And then the knives. One, two, three, prick! And then she lay there, bound and paralyzed in agony and disbelief at how the boy she had trusted, trusted, had betrayed her. She squeezed her eyes shut at the memory of the pain, and worse than that, the look of vicious triumph on the boy's face at what he had done. And then...darkness. Silence. And another awakening.

The unfortunate girl shook her head as she walked, guilt and frustration adding to the fear. She raised her head to see a spotlight in the distance. At least, that's what it looked like. It was far away, but it was still light. She continued to walk toward the spotlight, even though her heart wrenched at the thought that this was her next torment. But torture or no, she had little choice, and nowhere to go.

So she moved on, and thought of the second encounter. That time, too, she had awoken in a daze, wearing clothes not her own. But unlike the first time, she found herself in a lovely white nightgown that shone against her tanned limbs, with her dark hair loose and the smallest hint of cleavage exposed.

She had wandered through an archway, seeking anyone, and had seen him. Lucifer, the one who finally put it into her mind that she was, in fact, in hell and not having a vivid nightmare. As soon as she had spoken the familiar first words, she locked eyes with the thing standing opposite her, and his gaze drew a strange song from her throat. She sang beautifully, but without any knowledge of the tune or the words. And, just like the time before, Tamara found herself beguiled by some honey-voiced horrifying thing. Before she knew it, she lay on a bed beneath the devil himself, held by his hands and his song. Then the melody ended, its strains fading from around her, and darkness fell on her world.

She had been so absorbed in her memories that she failed to notice where she was until she found herself in the midst of the spotlight she had been approaching. The light came from nowhere and bathed her in an angelic glow. She found herself dressed in a short, girlish sundress. The dress was white and seemed to have come from the radiance she stood in the light, she could see even less than when she had wandered in the dark.

She stood transfixed until a shape began to emerge into the light. Tamara gasped when she recognized him. She turned, intending to bolt to God knew where, just away from him. He put out a hand to stop her flight, but laid not a finger on her personally. "Wait!" the smoky voice called. "Please...wait." She turned, but kept her body tensed, ready to run. From the shadows beyond where they stood, Lucifer kept watch, his expression unreadable.

From the darkness he looked to where the two figures faced one another in the glow. Tamara...and the Scorpion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everybody! Sorry about the little delay in updating. Also, much love and many thanks to Psycho Poptart and starshortcake for reviewing and making lovely comments :) ok! R&R please! Enjoy!**

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The Scorpion flinched at the look in her eyes. That mix of betrayal, fear, and even hatred...he didn't know which was worst. "Tamara, please. Listen to me." The girl's eyes darkened even further. "I'm not listening to another word you say" she snapped and began to back quickly out of the light.

"You have nowhere to go!" The Scorpion yelled after her. "Please just listen. Isn't it better to be here with-" he drew a breath. He had almost said 'to be here with me'. That would have been unwise. He did not want to frighten her more. "To be here than out there in the dark? You don't know what's out there!"

"I'll take my chances!" Tamara said sharply, now completely out of the light, her voice fading into darkness. "Anything is better than staying here with you!"

The Scorpion went quiet, stunned. It wasn't that he didn't understand her anger. He did. But it still hurt. Then, from the darkness, he heard a thud, and a cry. Without thinking, he ran toward the sound.

From his place in the shadow, Lucifer whispered instructions to the light. Immediately it shut off, plunging all of hell into a darkness as black as the sins it held. He smiled and took his leave. All was well in his realms, but the girl had had to be left. She was too young to fight his war, and he took special interest in her besides. He knew The Scorpion could handle her on his own. After all, the malicious charmer was one of his best. And besides, Lucifer had more important things to attend to. There was a war on.

The Scorpion moved towards the sniffling that was now echoing in the dark. "Tamara, where are you? Are you hurt?" The answer came from the shape huddled pitifully at his feet. "I'm fine" the girl answered tearfully, and then began to cry as though her heart were broken. "L-le-leave me alo-one." She made no effort to control her grief. Demons would have wept to hear. The Scorpion looked down at her in agony. _She sounds so vulnerable_. What was she but a little girl lost in the dark, knowing she would never again find her way?

The sound of her heaving sobs pained him and he bent down to her level. "Let me help you" he said gently. He wished he could have touched her, comforted her, put a hand on her shoulder or brushed away her tears, but he didn't dare. She was fragile and, because of him, already cracked. He felt that even one touch could break her.

So he simply crouched there in front of her and waited. "I-I think I broke my ankle" came the reply. It could've come from an injured bird. "If you want", The Scorpion began carefully, "I could take you back to my place, fix up your ankle." He felt the girl tense up at the idea and he continued quickly. "Look, you'll never find somewhere safer on your own. I know this place in the dark. I can help you." He heard nothing but silence from Tamara and so he sighed and used his last resort.

"There's no one else here. All of Hell has been called out to the battlefield for the fight against Heaven. This place is deserted. You see? There's no one else here. At least...no one that I know of. And Tamara," he bit his lip, hesitant to go on. "Tamara, I don't want to leave you here when I don't know who-or what- is around." He stopped and waited for her response. It was only a moment before she spoke, but to him it seemed an eternity. And The Scorpion knew a thing or two about eternity.

Finally Tamara's voice came quietly out of the darkness. "How do I know you won't hurt me?" she asked, still sniffling. Both of them heard the 'again' she hadn't said. The Sorpion was silent a moment as he considered his answer. _Because my heart is dead without you, _he thought, but he did not dare to say it.

So he answered instead, "You have nothing to lose." He heard one final shuddering breath, and then, "All right. Help me." The Scorpion smiled despite the tear-stained voice, happy that she couldn't see his relief. "Put your arms around my neck", he said gently, and the girl's distrust fairly radiated between them. "Well, come on", he coaxed, and she complied, holding on weakly as he lifted her easily and kept firm arms around her back and legs. Then, eager to get her to safety, to bring her home, he set off into the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Sorry bout the delay in updating. Things have been so busy, but I'm cranking the chapters out as fast as I can. Lots of love and hot tea to my wonderful reviewers. You guys rock. Shorter chapter this time, but the next one will be nice and long :) **

**Enjoy!**

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After a long time of being carried through the darkness, Tamara relaxed. She hadn't dared to move or even breathe for the first...how much time had passed? Was it minutes? Hours? It felt like days. She had no idea. When she had first felt herself lifted into a sturdy pair of arms, the strangest feeling had seized her: her heart had fluttered, and she had felt almost- well, almost shy. She had shaken her head angrily and berated herself for blushing like that. She was acting like a foolish teenager again.

Even at her most vulnerable point, when she was no more than a broken thing cradled in the arms of her murderer, she was acting like a lovestruck child.

Perhaps this was why she had been cursed to punishment for all eternity. Now, she supposed she deserved it.

Eventually, Tamara managed to settle her mind and she slowly relaxed, even curling slightly into The Scorpion's chest as he walked. So far, the silence had remained intact. Tamara thought of the man who held her. Why was he being so kind? It was a trap, she was sure, but still...he had gone to an extraordinary amount of trouble to help her. Back there in that strange light- wouldn't it have been easier to just kill her where she stood? It certainly hadn't taken this long the first time. Slowly the thought settled in her mind that if this was to be like the first and second times, there was nothing she could do to escape it. Her fate was forever.

The Scorpion spoke, making Tamara jump and tighten her grip around his neck. "Sorry", he said sheepishly, "I was just going to tell you that we're getting close. T-to my place, I mean." He added hastily. He sounded distracted, and even a touch nervous. Part of the act, thought Tamara, and she was surprised to find that the thought was sad. The silence continued, as thick as the Hell's night they walked in.

"So," Tamara began slowly, "How did you get here?" She had been doomed to learn her lesson for eternity. But what lesson did The Scorpion have to suffer for? Or perhaps he is born of this darkness, she thought. A child of hell... Her thoughts were interrupted by the man's voice cutting through the darkness. "I, ah-" The Scorpion stumbled over his words as he answered. He hesitated and breathed deeply, his chest swelling against the girl's temple. He sounded like someone about to step from the edge of a cliff. Then the tension in his manner broke, and he finished, saying, "I don't remember exactly." He spoke quickly and in a tone that effectively ended the conversation. But there was something in that voice.

In the darkness, the light had left Tamara's eyes and filled her other senses, and she was sure she heard something false in his tone. That made her wonder. The first time he had seemed so secure. Why would he hide something from her? Was he simply taking a different approach this time? What did something like him have to hide?

All opportunity for talk having gone, Tamara tried to focus on something else, but her eyes and ears felt nothing, save for the overwhelming black. The only train of thought left to her was how _he_ felt, and she surely would not spend her time thinking about the arms of this thing who held her, though his hands were so gentle, his motion as he walked so careful, as though he carried some precious thing made of glass..._no_. No, no, no, she would not think of him. She hated him, and all she wanted was to be out of his arms, but how secure they felt, how warm..._stop that! _Her mind rebelled and she fought it for what seemed like days.

Finally, her struggle was ended by his voice. That voice..._like rocks in a honeycomb_. "You doing okay?" he asked softly, as if he were sharing a secret, though no one else was there. At least, no one they could see.

"Yes" she replied, her answer just as quiet as his had been.

"Good. Well...here we are."

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**There you are, dearies! Hope you enjoyed it. Ratings make me smile and reviews make me love you! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! I am so so so sorry about the big delay with this chapter! I'm starting a story with someone, and I've got everything from schoolwork to Shakespeare to deal with at the moment. But I do promise to be more prompt in the future! Thank you to all my darlings who reviewed! Hot tea and hugs to all of you! And remember, everyone, reviews make me love you :) all right! That said, let's get this show on the road!**

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The Scorpion stopped in front of his house with the girl still in his arms. He was amazed. Not once during the hours he had spent bearing her injured form through the darkness had he tired or faltered. She was as light as the breath in her body. Those breaths were alternately comforting and convicting as they swelled and left her lips, sometimes hitching when she gasped in pain. The Scorpion hated himself for those gasps that came when he adjusted his grip or walked too quickly, jostling her ankle. Once she even cried out. That cry had felt like the knife he buried in her heart when they first met. Everything in his mind and body told him to speak, to apologize, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. So the pair remained quiet, the silence broken only once by the girl's question.

After that, the darkness stoppered The Scorpion's voice until he reached his destination. He waited one moment in front of the door before gently asking Tamara to turn the knob. "You don't keep it locked?" Tamara questioned, her tone surprised. "No." The Scorpion answered quietly, guiding himself and the girl through the frame. _What use is there locking a door in hell?_ He thought as he and Tamara entered the house. After all, there was not much mortal locks could do against the kind if evil that hell holds, and not much that could come over the threshold that was worse than himself. He stood inside, hesitating to set her down. His arms tightened protectively around her at the thought of releasing her weight.

After another fraction of a second, he spoke as he carried the girl towards the sofa. "Rest here. If you need blankets, pillows, anything, ask the couch." Tamara was silent. He figured she had seen enough by this point that nothing could shock her anymore. "Are you hungry?" He asked, moving towards the kitchen. "Yes" she replied quietly, as the sounds of her settling into the couch echoed through the room. "All right", The Scorpion said, "I'll make you something to eat. For now, sleep." Once again, he felt the tension in the room tighten. It was obvious that Tamara was uncomfortable with the idea of closing her eyes while he was nearby. Almost involuntarily, he whispered, "Trust me." He bit his lip, cursing himself for his choice of words.

He waited in the dark for her reply, and heard nothing but silence. Knowing that she wasn't likely to reply, he stood in the darkness for what must have been another half an hour until he heard soft, even breaths coming from the girl's corner of the room. Then he left to prepare some food. As he worked, he thought of the girl lying in the other room, and what he had put her through.

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Now you, my dearest reader, may wish an explanation and perhaps a descriptor or two. I'm afraid Tamara and The Scorpion won't be doing much describing, so here you are. All the residences of the carnies are placed on the outskirts of hell, and each must live alone in the wasteland that holds these homes. The Scorpion's house is large and luxurious, a multi-story colonial mansion as reward for his loyal service and as a constant, thorny reminder that he still resides in hell. The style, particularly, functions as a reminder of the domestic peace The Scorpion will never attain. His only purpose is to destroy love and trust and integrity, all the things that typically fill houses such as his. Lucifer lavishes all his carnies with powers and riches, empty, cold things to serve as a painful tribute to their circumstances. As to the sudden mention of The Scorpion's culinary familiarity, I assure you, it was not a random segue. In fact, he is a more than decent cook, given that it was one of his skills in life, and a rare link to his previous humanity. More on that later. For now, I shall return you to the musings of the damned.

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It was no surprise to The Scorpion that Lucifer had left him alone with the girl. He often praised his servant for his prowess in the arena of seducing vulnerable souls, and trusted him highly. He now expected The Scorpion to babysit his charge while war raged above, and the carnival was left cold, dark, and abandoned. The girl would certainly be of no use in the battle, and rather than simply leave her behind alone, Lucifer preferred to continue her sentence cycle. Besides, he had special plans for this girl. It had been a long time since the master had seen such unadultered beauty and innocence in his realms, and he relished the chance to personally destroy it. It would also give The Scorpion a chance to practice.

The charmer thought of these things while he browned the hamburger meat for the meal. He hated the thought of seducing and betraying the innocent thing yet again, but Lucifer had promised new rewards for this particular service. If that were the only incentive, he would never have done it. But he knew better than anyone what awaited those who defied their master's wishes. Back when she had asked him where he came from, he had nearly broken down and told her the whole ugly story. He kept his silence because he knew she would have run from him, from the truth of his existence. That would have resulted in punishment of the most severe sort, the likes of which The Scorpion could not endure another time.

He caught his breath and put down the spatula, fighting the memories that rose up when he thought of that. _Damn the memories._ He laughed at the irony of the last thought, and then resumed his work. His old work. Not the work in which he found himself currently involved, the hideous, soul-crushing duty he found himself saddled with. He loved to cook, to create good things with his own hands, but the memories it invoked were painful. Still, he kept on, desperate to cling to the few shreds of humanity left to his miserable existence.

He looked down moments later to see that he was finished. Two juicy hamburgers with generous helpings of cole slaw sat on the counter in front of him. They were his specialty, his culinary forte. Refined? Maybe not. Good? You bet your life. But he didn't use that phrase lightly. He laughed quietly, marveling at the way his hands took over the meal preparation when his mind was elsewhere almost as if they had minds of their own. The food being done, he balanced both plates on one arm and moved expertly through the dark house to the room where the girl slept.

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**Ok guys chapter 5 will be up soon! R&R pretty please with...I dunno...Terrance Zdunich on top!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers! I know it's been a while on this story, and I am eternally sorry about that. But please do accept hot tea and a free sweater by way of apology :D**

**Ooooookay! Let's get this show on the road! Enjoy and review :)))**

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Tamara lay buried in the midst of the pillows and cushions piled on the sofa. She had slept soundly. She had no concept of how long it had been since she arrived at the house. Everything had been dark for so long...Sleep was a welcome relief. At least sleep was a darkness she knew.

She had not dreamt. _I suppose dreaming is a privilege you lose when you get yourself thrown into Hell_. She shook her head and rolled over, wincing at the lightning bolt of pain through her ankle, then burying her face in a pile of fleece and wondering where that last thought had come from. She had never been any sort of deep thinker. Maybe her mind had accepted that she did, in fact, have an eternity, and she might as well think. _What else is there to do when you're stranded in the dark like this?_

Her head shot up out of the pillow when she realized where she was, and with whom. A stab of fear shocked her mind, quickly cooled by the knowledge seeping in, the knowledge that whatever came about, death by trust was her fate, and she couldn't fight it. _And besides, he did save me_, her heart whispered. She threw her fist into the middle of the pillow she lay on, silently cursing herself for even going there. It didnt matter if he had won the freaking Nobel Peace Prize. It didn't matter what he had done. The first time, she had saved him. And yet, look what had happened there.

Her cold, bleeding body had been left pinned to a wheel, held up by leather straps and the knife he had buried in her heart. No, she decided, she would not be trusting him again. Once pricked, twice shy. That was absolutely the end of the matter. She nodded firmly, intending to put the issue to rest, but her mind quickly flicked to what the boy had said on their journey to the house. She wondered if his memory was really so incomplete. It seemed unlikely, given that he had most likely had the whole of centuries to reminisce. And to perfect his lies. Tamara was sure he had lied to her. He had to remember something of how he ended up in a place like this. She had almost pressed the matter, but some unexpected whisper of sympathy had stopped her._ Imagine having sympathy for something like him_, she thought cruelly.

But however often she lied to herself (which was often), her heart didn't lie, and some small part of it ached for the boy, man, thing, whatever, who had pierced it. For the second time since she had reunited with the boy, she berated herself for acting so foolishly sentimental._ He's not a lost puppy._ With a shock, she realized that she didn't even know his name. She shut that train of thought right down. She didn't want to know. What was it they said about animals? _Don't give it a name...you'll get attached to it. _

The last thing she needed to do was to sink into the false sense of security that had gotten her killed before. What she did need to do was find a way out of this. Of course she knew that escaping the fate laid out for her was impossible, but she could at least get away from the boy whose couch she lay on. But regardless of plausibility, she had to do something. Just lying there in the dark would drive her mad, she knew it would. Darkness or no darkness, she would rather face all of Hell than stay where she was and fall slowly for the snake who put her here.

Tamara began to think over escape routes, distractedly drawing maps on the surface of the pillow. She had no idea how much time she had passed deep in thought, but she did know that she was getting nowhere fast. She had just started another strategy when she heard a door open close to where she lay.

Her head shot up at the sound. She heard footsteps, and a voice softly called, "Hey...are you awake?"


End file.
